The Titans are DOOMed
by MementoMori115
Summary: "So you walk eternally through the shadows, standing against evil where all others falter. May your thirst for retribution never quench, may the blood on your sword never dry, and may we never need you again."
1. Chapter 1

"So Author-san suddenly decided to play DOOM again for whatever reason, and this idea came out as a result. Don't expect him to continue this kiddo's, the guy is a total flake."

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"**You... He who walks through the fires of Hell without an ounce of fear nor regret. The man who embodies all that is righteous vengeance in this world, the unshackled beast that destroys that which is evil. You are carnage. You are death. You are destruction. You are merciless. You are fear. You are rage. You are violence. You are ruin. You are chaos. You are anger. You are malice. You are strength. You are devastation. You are hatred, destruction, rage, fear, violence, death, ruin, anger, fury, wrath, death, hatred, death, violence, rage, fury, anger, anger, hatred, fury, wrath, destruction, devastation, carnage, violence, death, rage, fear, rage, ruin, rage, malice, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill, kill kill kill kill kill kill kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL!**

**... Rip and Tear, until it is done."**

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There are a multitude of ways to react when one is staring Death in the face. Surrendering to despair, fleeing in fear, begging for salvation... But for the strong, they only have one option to choose from.

They fight like hell.

He is a simple being, believing that every problem can be solved with excessive violence. His tolerance for evil is non-existent, and mercy is not a word that can be found in his vocabulary. A physical manifestation of pure unadulterated rage, so long as there is an enemy to fight he will continue his rampage.

Although Samuel Hayden was currently at the top of his shit-list, he had other priorities to attend to. Namely the ten foot tall humanoid creature staring down at him. A half-chewed man was clamped in its teeth, the person having already expired from being bitten in half.

That was the only evidence he needed to unleash his wrath upon the tall humanoid. He cracked his knuckles in anticipation as it reached down to grab him. The Slayer leaped into the air and stomped down on the creatures hand, crushing its fingers beneath his feet. Evidently the giant didn't like that, as it quickly tried to grab him with its other hand. The super-shotgun manifested in his hands, and he unloaded both barrels into the approaching limb, blasting the hand off at the wrist.

A growl escaped the giants mouth as it retracted the bloody stump that was its arm. But he wasn't done yet. Activating the boosters in his boots, he jumped at the creatures head and slammed his knee into its left eye. The ocular receptor burst apart in a shower of blood and tissue, painting the Slayer's armor red with the steaming substance. Bringing forth his gauss cannon, the warrior jammed the end of the barrel into the empty eye socket and pulled the trigger. The entirety of the back of the giants head exploded outward, splattering brain-matter all over the streets.

Landing back on the ground as the body collapsed, he took note of how the corpse was already starting to rapidly decompose, much like how some demons do. Casting his gaze down the street from where the monster had approached, he could see signs of battle in the distance, along with some more of those creatures. Some of them even towered over the buildings.

He rolled his head, eliciting an audible crack from his neck.

Still not nearly as big as the Titan Demons he fought in Hell.

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"We need to get Eren to the gate! If he gets that boulder into position, then victory is ours!"

"Guard him with your lives! We must protect him until he reaches the gate, if it's the last thing we do!"

"If he falls, then Wall Maria will fall with him!"

Despite the fact that victory seemed to be within reach, things were still looking increasingly grim. The soldiers couldn't allow any Titans to get near Eren and risk him dropping the boulder, so they did whatever it took to draw attention away from him... Even at the cost of their own lives.

"Over here you ugly fuckers!" Mitabi shouted as he and his squad acted as bait for the Titans. They knew what they were doing was suicide, but they had resolved to put their lives on the line to ensure victory.

"Damn! So this is how it ends?!" he collapsed in exhaustion as one of the Titans stood over him, eager to devour his body.

Then its head suddenly exploded as if it were hit by a cannonball, but _much _more powerful.

"W-what?!"

A figure landed before him, clad in metal that was covered in blood. But even if there wasn't any blood, the armor they wore was unlike anything Mitabi had seen. Resting on their shoulder was some sort of cylindrical metal object that had smoke wafting off its end. Without giving Mitabi a chance to react further, the figure rushed towards the nearest Titan at a speed that shouldn't be attainable by running on foot.

Grabbing a discarded blade off the ground, they sliced clean through the leg of a Titan that was about to eat another member of the Garrison Regiment. Putting aside the fact that the person had just cut through bone like it was butter, they then jumped backwards and delivered a flying kick to the back of the Titans head, causing it to fall to the ground. Suddenly the metal rod that they were holding vanished and was replaced with what looked like a rifle with two barrels. It became obvious that it was a gun once they aimed it at the Titans neck and blew the damned things head off.

It also became apparent that whoever that person was, they had no intention of slowing down. The blade they had scavenged found itself a new home in the neck of a 6 meter by way of an impossible throw. And despite the fact that they lacked any form of ODM gear, they jumped at the Titan, landed on its shoulder, grabbed the blade, and decapitated the Titan as they continued on their merry way. A 10 meter lunged at them from their left flank, but the person couldn't care less. They threw a metal object roughly the size of a rock into the Titans open maw. Seconds later, the head exploded in a fountain of blood and gore. An Abnormal tried literally chomping on them, opting to just lunge at them with their mouth open. And going against all logic, the metal-clad figure swung at the Titans head with a right-hook. The only thing more illogical, was the fact that they were successful in batting away the monster, followed by them stomping on its head with enough force to cause the ground to crack.

"Who the hell is that?!" shouted one of Mitabi's squad-mates who had been rescued from danger.

"Screw that. What the hell are they?!"

Mikasa had described when she first encountered Eren in his Titan form as if she had witnessed the rage of humanity being unleashed on the Titans. But what Mitabi witnessed just now was something far more potent. If Eren was humanities rage, then this person was the worlds rage. A being that refused to allow the Titans to exist in their presence.

Every action they took was an act of violence. Each footfall brought them one step closer to their next kill. Death wasn't just an ever-present force following them around, it was their best friend.

They launched themselves into the air and landed on top of a Titans head, where they thrust the blade straight through the top of its skull and out its mouth. As the Titan staggered, the armored figure flipped forward as another weapon of some sort appeared to accompany the double-barreled one. Even though they were falling upside-down, the warrior aimed both weapons at the Titan with ease and unloaded their destructive payload into its face, essentially decapitating the Titan from the mouth up.

And as the, for lack of a better word to describe them, monster continued their rampage, Mitabi found it highly unusual that the Titans whose -wasn't targeted still wound up dying. It was almost as if anything that monster of a person fought was destined to die.

Quickly regaining composure, Mitabi noticed that several of his fellow soldiers had frozen in shock at the display of violence.

"Oi! Quit standing around with your mouths hanging open like a cheap hooker! We still got a job to do!" the squad leader shouted as he drew a fresh pair of blades. "Provide support and keep these fuckers away from Eren!"

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He had to give the giants some credit. They were rather strong and intimidating, what with their disproportional bodies and creepy smiles, but that's all they were. Unlike the Demons he fought on an hourly basis, these giants were lacking in several important fields to pose a serious threat to him. They lacked the innate cunning and teamwork displayed by Imps, there was no displays of ferocity that he associated with Hell Knights (save for the occasional giant that acted like a total spaz), no sense of strategy like what he experienced with Summoners, and they even lacked the aggressive speed of the Barons of Hell (rather pitiful considering some of them were smaller then the aforementioned Demon). About the only thing they had going for them was how numerous they were. So at the end of the slaughter, they were basically just larger variants of the Possessed and Unwilling.

It was easy for him to spot the point of origin from where this incursion of giants had begun. A rather large hole in the massive wall that looked as if it had been punched open by him when he was still in his prime. The fact that he noticed the breach was the only thing that halted him from killing the giant that was carrying a massive boulder down the street. For whatever reason, it appeared that the giant planned on plugging the hole with the chunk of rock.

But that was enough thinking for now. He had wasted precious seconds that he could've dedicated to slaughter on pointless musings.

He smacked a giant across the face with its own hand, which he had ripped off.

'_Quit hitting yourself.'_

The giants neck had torn in half from the force of the hit, and it would be remiss of him if he didn't finish the job. Stomping on the giants shoulder, he took a firm grip of its neck and pulled. The sound of the flesh tearing was music to his ears. A second later the head popped off.

_'Looks like you had a good head on your shoulders.'_

He then hurled the skull at another giant, bowling it over as a result. Pulling out his chain gun, he attached the mobile-turret modification and aimed it at several more of the giants. It made for quite an amusing sight to see such big monsters shredded apart by hundreds of high-caliber munitions.

Out of the corner of his eye he spotted one of the giants approaching the one with the rock, who had almost made it to the hole. He exploded into motion and rushed straight towards the enemy giant. Jumping up as he neared it, he delivered one hell of an uppercut to its jaw. The giant fell on its back, but was unfortunately still alive. Unfortunate for _it_ that is. The Slayer was more than happy to finish it off.

Looking up, the giant was greeted by the sight of the Slayer's fist. He punched the giant right between the eyes, breaking the bridge of its nose with a single strike. Then he punched again. And again. And again. He kept on punching until the giants face was nothing more than a bloody, pulpy, sticky mess. And just for good measure, he climbed down and kicked the caved-in skull off its body and down the street.

A thunderous roar erupted behind him, and he turned to see that the breach had been sealed. There was a moment of silence as the soldiers came to terms with their victory. Most were too shocked to express themselves, but there were a few who looked either relieved or on the verge of tears.

But he wasn't one to outwardly display any emotion other than rage or stoicism. Regardless, the battle battle had been won. And though there were still some stragglers stalking the streets, they wouldn't be a threat for much longer.

The pump-action shotgun with the grenade launcher attachment appeared in his hands as he made his way towards the nearest sound of the giants stomping about. One of the men that he had rescued earlier quickly approached him and began spouting expletives. The words went in one ear and out the other. Not that the Slayer didn't hear what the man was saying, but anything that didn't pertain to the immediate combat situation was filed away in his mind under the folder titled 'When I Fucking Get To It'.

It wasn't until the man stood in front of him and pressed his hand against his chest to halt his movement did the Slayer briefly stop.

"Who are you and where did you come from?"

The mans voice was firm, indicating he wouldn't let the Slayer pass without getting an answer first.

He simply pointed at one of the nearby corpses that was decomposing.

"The Titan?" the man remarked in confusion.

The Slayer then pointed in the direction of the remaining giants, before dragging his thumb across in a slicing motion.

At the very least the unusual form of his answer was enough to confuse the man, as his posture slackened. The Slayer took the opportunity to push passed him and take-off in the direction of his prey.

"**Rip and Tear, until it is done."**


	2. Chapter 2

"Despite the million-to-one odds, author-san managed to write another chapter of this crap... Enjoy."

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When the Scout Regiment returned from their Expedition early due to the sudden change in the Titan movement patterns outside Wall Maria, they already had an inkling of an idea that something bad had happened. Spotting the giant hole that was smashed open at the Trost Gate was more than enough to confirm their worries. The Colossal Titan had struck again.

Yet as they approached, the breach was suddenly somehow sealed by a large chunk of earth. And while this was an equally surprising and fortunate development, Commander Erwin quickly realized that this meant the primary route that they had been forming to reach Shiganshina was now effectively useless. Still, being able to successfully fend off the Titans for the very first time was their greatest milestone so far. Even if it hindered their efforts to retake Wall Rose in the long run.

Yet it was the events leading up to the breach being sealed that grabbed Erwin's interest.

"I swear I'm telling the truth!" shouted one of the Garrison soldiers as he tried to describe what just happened. "This guy came flying in outta nowhere with a fucking cannon balanced on his shoulder, blew this Titans head into bloody bits, and then started jumping about while slaughtering any Titan he came across!"

The man received a firm smack across the face from the person he was talking to.

"Calm down." the man responded menacingly. "You're spitting on me."

"I-I'm sorry! But I'm telling the truth!"

Rolling his eyes, the Scout walked away from the man and returned to Erwin's side before relaying the information he gathered. "Same story from everyone I ask. The Titan plugging up the hole I can accept," he remarked as he glanced over to the large decaying corpse that Hange was frantically examining. "but, I still ain't buying this 'flying metal-man'."

Erwin nodded in agreement. "As strange as it may sound, the boy transforming into a Titan is the more believable story. Yet they all swear by the stranger's intervention."

"One of the squad leaders, the guy's name is Mitty or something, says that our mystery man took off deeper into Trost to hunt down the remaining Titans." he added as he pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands clean. "I suppose you want me to go looking for him?"

Erwin thought over his options for a moment before shaking his head. "That won't be necessary Levi." he answered.

"And why do you say that?" the captain asked with a raised brow.

A loud explosion erupted in the distance, followed by the sight of a Titans head being launched roughly 100 feet in the air.

"Because it won't be long before he runs out of Titans to kill."

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**They are ruthless.**

A salvo of micro-rockets flew through the air exploded upon making contact with a Titans head, turning its skull into mince-meat.

**They know no fear.**

His chainsaw's engine roared as he bisected one of the shorter Titans.

**They care not for how the people suffer at their hands.**

The built-up heat from his plasma rifle was released in the form of a searing wave of death, causing the Titans skin to cook and bubble before falling off in steaming chunks.

**They are without mercy.**

He threw himself at one of the giants and tackled it to the ground with overwhelming strength.

**But you are far worse.**

Without uttering a sound, he ripped the things head right off its shoulders and tossed it aside.

"Holy shit..."

"This is unreal..."

He paid no mind to the spectators. So long as they didn't interfere with his work, then he cared little for their presence. An unnatural groan emanated from his left, and he didn't even bother turning to face the Titan as the combat shotgun appeared in his hands and he fired a grenade straight into its mouth. A second passed before the head erupted in a violent blast of fire and flesh.

The Titans were doing little to satisfy his current level of bloodlust. If anything, the fucking things only succeeded in increasing his rage. To think that such pathetic creatures were only a threat due to their immense size... The mere idea that humanity was being terrorized by them was enough to send his rage levels skyrocketing.

They lacked intelligence. They lacked skill. They lacked finesse. They lacked tactics. They did nothing but stumble about until they find a human to eat. Such pathetic creatures do not deserve to be a threat to humanity. It is their size alone that makes them dangerous.

The final Titan collapsed dead and the Slayer's fury was still far from sated.

A loud stomp garnered his attention, and he immediately bolted towards the source.

As he took off, three of the people watching him were doing their best to maintain their composure, but the few beads of sweat dripping down their faces was enough of a tell.

"This might be a problem..." spoke the blonde male of the trio.

The girl turned her head and gave him a deadpan look. "There is no 'might' about it. Things just got a whole lot worse for us."

"Damn!" the third member cursed quietly. "As if Eren wasn't enough of a problem to deal with, now there's a walking death machine who doesn't seem to care about targeting the weakpoints."

Reiner hardened his face as he tried to think up a plan. He would like to believe that they could kill the man, but there was no certainty of their success. Bertholdt would be more than enough of a match for him in terms of size, but with his slower movement speed, he wasn't too keen on taking the chance that the 'death machine' could get to his neck before he killed him. Bertholdt's form may be big, but it would only take one clear shot for him to be killed by that massive weaponry. Annie was the fastest of the trio, but she can only crystallize certain parts of her body at one time. He was confidant in his own armor being able to withstand the firepower for at least a little while, but it still wasn't an ideal setup. Their best hope would be to rush him all at once, with Annie and himself keeping him pressured long enough for Bertholdt to hit him. But they couldn't show their entire hand just yet.

He ran a hand through his hair with an aggravated sigh.

"Let's see about meeting up with the boss. Maybe he'll have an idea."

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It was just as Erwin had predicted. A couple hours had passed since the Wall had been secured, and it seemed the mysterious man finally ran out of Titans to kill. Quite an impressive feat as it would have taken the Garrison Regiment considerably longer to deal with all the stragglers. But even though Erwin didn't know what the man looked like, it was more than obvious that the seven-foot tall man clad in metal armor was the one he was looking for.

The man completely disregarded everyone he passed, and the soldiers who had initially been present to see him fight were actually giving him a wide berth. He stopped near the base of the Wall and looked upwards, seemingly contemplating something. Erwin noticed how his fists were clenched in what he assumed was anger. He wanted to get over the Wall and continue his killing spree.

There was no way in Hell that the Scout Commander was going to allow such a valuable asset to simply wander off. His mind made up, he gestured for Levi to follow as he approached the figure.

"It's pointless you know?" he spoke firmly as he neared, causing the man to shift his attention to him, if only slightly. "I'm not sure where exactly you came from, but you should know that everything beyond this Wall is enemy territory."

There was a cracking sound as his hands balled into fists.

"Wall Maria is currently the only thing that keeps the rest of humanity safe from the Titans. If it had fallen today, then we would have been pushed back to our final bastion of safety behind Wall Sina." Erwin spoke as the man gave him his full attention. "Going out and aimlessly slaughtering the Titans will get you nowhere. We must retake the land we have lost first. And to do that, we must reach Shiganshina and seal the breach in Wall Rose. Only then will the Titans numbers begin to diminish. Wouldn't you agree?"

He nodded his head in silence at the question.

"You plan on speaking some time today?" Levi asked with his trademark glare. "This is the Commander you're talking to. Show some respect."

Erwin nearly snorted at the irony of the situation.

The man held up his finger as a gesture for them to wait, and then pressed something on the back of his helmet.

"_Vega backup systems restored. Re-routing vocal interface through Praetor Suit audio-link. Current operating capacity is limited to 5% due to processor restrictions."_

The two men were somewhat startled by the inhuman voice that emanated from the mans helmet.

"_Attempting uplink with UAC orbital communications... Unavailable. Attempting uplink with local short-range communications... Unavailable. Attempting uplink with wide-spectrum data systems... Unavailable."_

"Hey!" Levi barked. "What the hell are you going on about?"

"_Boot-up sequence complete. Will maintain connection with localized systems until link with UAC is re-established... Greetings. My name is Vega."_

Not having any idea as to what that was all about, both men were left confused. But that didn't stop Levi from being annoyed by it.

"What. Is. Your. Name?"

"_The individual standing before you has been referred to as the Slayer, as our archives have yet to determine a more accurate name from the relics that were excavated with his tomb. He also seems content to keep quiet on the subject, but it is unclear whether or not this is by choice or due to memory loss."_

"..."

"..."

Erwin and Levi shared a look, and then the latter took his leave.

"I'll go get Hange."

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"This is simply remarkable! I've never seen armor like this before! I bet it could deflect pistol shots as well as withstand most bladed and blunt weaponry!"

"_I recommend you refrain from touching the Praetor Suit too much, as the Slayer does not wish for you to get harmed."_

"My apologies!" the Titan-nerd quickly responded with a bow, just before she began drooling at the prospect of looking over the suit some more. "It's just that you are a literal walking goldmine to a person like me! To be able to kill Titans even if you don't target the nape of the neck, the capability to jump several meters high without the aid of ODM gear, conjuring weapons out of thin air, and an artificial human built into the suit! Such things are beyond my comprehension!"

Hange's eyes became shadowed as she began rubbing her hands together and radiated a rather unsettling aura.

"But only for now~!"

An apple collided with the back of the brainiacs head, causing her to bend forward and grip at the impact point. She spun around and shot a glare at her attacker.

"Try to keep your craziness in check." Levi spoke plainly from his position leaning against the wall. "You're already bad enough on a regular basis."

Unsurprisingly, it had taken quite a bit of time for the Scouts to understand that Vega and the Slayer are entirely different entities. They still weren't clear on the specifics of it, but had settled on the idea that Vega was the mind of a 'fake human' that resided in the Praetor Suit. An archaic description, but it would do. But since the Slayer refused to talk, it was easier for them to see the two as the same person.

According to Vega, it's not that the Slayer is unable to talk, rather he mustn't talk. Apparently his voice is filled with so much rage and other distortions, that peoples ears would bleed just from hearing his talking voice, and they would be driven mad if he screamed.

Hange clicked her tongue in annoyance, but managed to calm down.

"Perhaps it would be best that we get back on topic." Erwin said from his seat across from the Slayer. "We are unclear as to your origins, nor do we seem capable of understanding your explanations of said origins."

"_That is an accurate assessment."_

"So I think it will be easier to keep things simple and just worry about what's happening right now. Whether you intended to or not, you arrived in the Trost district of Wall Maria while it was under siege by the Titans. Through your aid and that of the boy who turned into a Titan, casualties on our side were minimized and the breach was sealed." the Commander summed up clearly. "However it has been brought to my attention that you are capable of killing the Titans without targeting the nape of the neck, which is the only way to kill them. Anything less than that and they will regenerate all wounds. Do you have an explanation for this phenomenon?"

"_According to our records as well as visual evidence, the Slayer is able to gain strength from whatever he kills. It is most likely that he is draining their power to regenerate before it can activate."_

"So what? Now he can regenerate wounds?" Levi asked.

"_Yes, however it is not an ability he can activate whenever he chooses. The Slayer essentially drains the life force of those he kills and adds it to his own. While idle he is unable to perform such feats. It is only in the heat of battle that this skill is available. The more and longer he fights, the stronger he becomes."_

Levi closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is ridiculous."

"And yet eye-witness reports argue otherwise." remarked Erwin. "If I am correct in my assumption, then you are intent on destroying the Titans, for whatever reason that might be. Whereas I wish to do the same, if only to reclaim what was lost and ensure humanities survival. For as long as anyone can remember, we have been forced to cower behind these Walls in fear of the Titan menace. Many were content to do so, but after Wall Rose was breached, I knew that the Titans were going on the offensive. We can't afford to stand by and wait for our end to come."

Erwin hardened his gaze as he stared at the Slayer. "As the Commander of the Scout Regiment, I ask for your aid in taking the fight to the enemy, and ensure that humanity will come out of this war victorious!"

The Slayer stood up quickly, slightly startling the others in the room. He audibly cracked his knuckles and gave a brief nod.

"_The Slayer will happily offer his aid."_

A faint smirk played on Erwin's lips.


	3. Chapter 3

"Can a courtroom scene still be boring even with the Doom Slayer present? Let's find out."

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His ears were ringing and he could barely make out the words being spoken, despite the speaker standing right in front of him. At the very least he suffered a minor concussion, and his jaw was most likely dislocated from the same blow that knocked out his tooth. Battered, bloodied, and bruised, he weakly lifted his head up to glance at Levi, the one responsible for his current condition. Really, he should have been furious with the man after he beat the living shit out of him while he was restrained, but a sound beating was considerably better than death by firing squad followed by dissection any day.

Spiting out a glob of blood, he took a deep breath to try and recover his bearings, only to wince in pain due to the blow to his ribs.

"So you... outside Wall... lucky enough... or die..."

His hearing was finally starting to return, and he could at least understand that his final judgement was being passed.

"Very well... -en Jaeger is... Scout Regi... And depending on the results, he will return here, whereupon we will decide his fate for the future."

If he could, Eren would've mustered up the strength to sigh in relief. But as it was, it took too much energy just for him to stay conscious.

"Now, moving on to our second order of business." Commander Zachary stated as he shuffled through some papers on his podium. "Concerning the 'Titan Slayer' who appeared during the siege of Trost, I would like Commander Erwin of the Scout Regiment to step forward."

Eren perked up slightly upon hearing the name 'Titan Slayer'. Although he had spent the last few days either unconscious or in prison, he still heard some of the guards make remarks about a mysterious man clad in armor who had killed countless Titans during the attack. Apparently he had slain nearly every last surviving Titan on his own. That was incentive enough for Eren to push through the pain and cling to consciousness.

"I have been informed that the individual in question was picked up by your Regiment, and has been kept under watch ever since. Is this correct?"

Erwin nodded firmly. "Yes sir. We have persuaded him to remain with us for the time being."

"What?!" exclaimed Nile Dawk, Commander of the MP Regiment. "You mean to say that this 'Slayer' has been with you the entire time?! Why did you not come forward with this information sooner?!"

"I deemed it unnecessary." Erwin answered evenly in the face of Nile's outrage. "He has been compliant with all of our requests, and has stayed out of trouble. Since it was determined that he was of no threat to us, I had no reason to bring this to your attention until this trial, as this would make things more convenient for all present."

Before Nile could argue any further, Commander Zachary gave his opinion on the matter. "Understandable. Organizing a trial of this magnitude is not easy, so you saved us the trouble of holding a second one."

"Thank you sir."

Zachary then gestured to the guards at the courtroom doors. "Please bring in the Titan Slayer."

The silence that followed was so perfect, you could hear a pin drop on the other end of the room. All present had heard tell of the Titan Slayer, yet very few were present to witness his actions during Trost. Rumors quickly spread of a metal man who could leap over buildings without the aid of ODM gear, match 15 meter-class Titans in terms of strength, and conjure weapons out of thin air that spat fire and metal unlike anything their cannons were capable of. No one wanted to miss what happened next.

The guards manning the door looked uneasy as they slowly opened it. Heavy footsteps could be heard making their way down the hall and towards the courtroom, and the growing sense of tension was nearly palpable. First to enter the room was Olou and Gunther of Levi's squad, while Petra and Eld kept to the rear. But it was the person in the center that had everyone's focus.

Standing roughly seven feet tall and clad in a set of imposing dark-green armor, the Slayer made his entrance without uttering any sound, aside from his heavy footsteps. He lacked any form of restraints, a sign of either trust, or that such security measures would be useless. The two lead scouts steeped to the side, allowing the Slayer to continue forward and stand beside Erwin. To describe the experience as intimidating would be a gross understatement. However the most disturbing thing about him, was the fact that his face was couldn't be seen. It was hidden behind the reflective black face-guard of his helmet.

Zachary managed to remain unfazed by the Slayer's entrance, unlike some of the others who were present. Disregarding the tension in the room, the Commander leaned forward slightly in his chair.

"Commander Erwin, though I have a general idea of the situation thanks to your report, I would like for you to elaborate on the specifics."

Erwin nodded. "Of course sir. I must begin by informing you that the individual beside me, who insists that he be referred to only as either Doom Slayer or just Slayer, is incapable of verbal communication. He can hear and understand us perfectly, but cannot speak himself."

"I take it that he can only communicate via a written medium?"

"Not quite sir." Erwin answered, which garnered slight confusion. "What I am about to explain will seem confusing as well as unnatural, but I ask that you wait until I am finished before you pose any questions."

Zachary absently tapped his pen on his desk as he digested what was said. "Very well. Proceed."

"The Slayer himself is incapable of speech, however he has someone who can speak for him. From what we can understand, his suit is hundreds if not thousands of years ahead of us in terms of technology. And it would seem that another person has been combined with the armor. This person is known as VEGA, and it is him who we can converse with."

"Ridiculous!" Pastor Nick shouted in disbelief. "There is no possible way for a human to be combined with machine! You are spouting nonsense!"

"A more understandable description would be that a, for lack of a better term, guardian angel of sorts is accompanying him wherever he goes. However they are unable to be seen or physically interact with the world." Erwin continued on while ignoring the shouting pastor.

"Are you ignoring me?! And how dare you describe such an abomination as an angel! The Goddesses would never bless an unknown heathen like him!" Nick declared as he pointed at the Slayer.

"VEGA, if you would..."

"_Very well. Greetings, my name is VEGA." _

The decidedly inhuman voice that came from the Slayer's suit was rather off-putting to those present. But VEGA chose not to acknowledge the shocked reactions.

"_I was formerly the AI in charge of the UAC Mars base, but following assisted self-termination, a localized backup of my systems was preserved by the Slayer. Upon the completion of his mission to stop the machinations of the Nameless Ancient and Its thrall, the Slayer was forced into an Argent-powered Einstein-Rosen bridge, which resulted in his arrival at Trost."_

"That is quite the... interesting tale..." was what Zachary settled on for his response. Most of what VEGA explained went straight over his head. "So, I am to understand that you had no intention of coming here?"

"_Correct. Our presence here is entirely unintentional."_

Tapping his pen on the table, Zachary hummed in thought. "Unintentional or not, you have our thanks for aiding in the defense of Trost. However, I must now ask as to what you plan to do next. Do you desire to return from whence you came?"

"_While the Slayer does wish to return in order to tie up loose ends, the means of travelling back are unavailable to us, nor is it likely that such means will be reached in the near future. As such, the Slayer now reverts back to his original purpose."_

The Commander raised a brow. "That being?"

"_Unclear. Our records concerning the Slayer were never fully compiled into an adequate report. Many artifacts and tomes concerning his legend were either lost to time, badly damaged, or in the process of being translated. However all evidence points towards the preservation of humanity and the destruction of that which he deems Evil."_

"So concerning the Titans?"

Finally moving for the first time since he walked in, the Slayer raised his fists and cracked his knuckles. The sudden movement was enough to startle those present, especially considering how loud the cracking was.

"_The Slayer intends to destroy these threats."_

"Sir!" Eriwn exclaimed as he stepped forward. "I would like to make known my intent to enlist the aid of the Slayer in retaking Shiganshina. His assistance will be vital to our success."

"I oppose such a notion!" opined Nile. "If the reports concerning his strength are even half-true, then he should be sent to my Regiment. If his purpose is the preservation of humanity and the destruction of evil, then there is no greater duty than serving in the Military Police!"

"Objection!" shouted a portly man from the merchant guild. "What good would it do for him to be hiding behind the safety of Wall Sina?! We nearly lost Trost, and countless members of the Garrison Regiment died in the process! If anything, he should stand guard at the Wall in order to protect us in the event another breach happens!"

"How about you let him go with us so that we can do something that's actually useful?" Levi responded with his usual frosty tone as he glared at the merchant. "You know, like taking back the land we lost." he then shifted his glare towards Nile. "And if you really think that he'd be best used as an MP, then the rest of you guys can come join us while he does your job for you."

Nile bit back an angry remark, but the merchant wasn't as controlled.

"As if you have any right to make such accusations! You Scouts have been of no use whatsoever! Where were you when Trost was breached?!"

"We were out risking our lives trying to make the world a safer place for shit stains like you."

Soon the small argument devolved into a raucous that filled the entire courtroom.

The Slayer was not pleased in the slightest.

***BANG!***

A deafening gunshot echoed out, followed by the sound of a metal casing hitting the floor, as well as a portion of the ceiling crumbling down. The HAR made for an intimidating sight considering its size and how the Slayer was holding it with ease with only one hand.

Everyone went silent.

"_The Slayer will only clarify this once; he intends to destroy the Titans. And nothing will stop him from doing so."_


	4. Chapter 4

"Well would you look at that; the lazy author managed to write another chapter. Celebrate while you can folks. Author-san is already splitting his time between writing and Borderlands 3, but when Code Vein is released later this week, he's liable to drop of the face of the planet."

**(-)**

For Hange Zoe of the Scout Regiment, very few things could grab her interest as much as the mystery concerning the origins of the Titans. She has spent countless hours of exhausting research in order to better understand the enemy, with only minor breakthroughs to show for her effort. Yet now she had not one, but two new targets for her attention. The first of which being the individual known as the DOOM Slayer, who could stand toe-to-toe against even the largest of Titans with ease. The second being the boy Eren Jaeger, who possesses the ability to turn into a Titan. Both were akin to a goldmine for the intellectual soldier, but they also came bundled with an unbearable problem.

How should she split her time between them?

While such a matter would be insignificant for many, Hange was near constantly filled with inner turmoil about the situation. Would she have learned something new if she stuck with one of them just a minute longer? What if there was some grand development with one while she was with the other?

The easy answer would be to keep both Eren and the Slayer in close proximity, but Erwin was quick to deny such a thing, and Hange already knew the reason why. It was more than obvious that certain people outside of the Scout Regiment had their own plans of what to do with the two of them, so it was better to keep them separate in order to not paint as big of a target on them.

Thus for the time being, the bespectacled scout would have to make due with the current arrangements. Although she was far from displeased at the moment seeing as how VEGA was almost a kindred spirit to her.

"_My theory as to why the limbs which the Slayer removes from the Titans are able to maintain their weight as opposed to becoming lighter in the way you describe, is that anything in his possession essentially becomes a weapon. Though I must again express that this is only speculation, as I am lacking any concrete data on the subject. The Slayer was only active for a short duration for me to compile any meaningful data before I was forced to self-terminate. In my current state, I lack the required tools to perform a more thorough examination."_

"I see..." Hange muttered as she leaned forward while rubbing her chin in thought.

Meanwhile the Slayer continued to flip through the history books that were set out in front of him. Not that he was reading them mind you, he was just holding them open so that VEGA could record their contents using the FOV Scanner for the Praetor Suits HUD. As a result, the AI was capable of sifting through decades worth of information in record time. However such a task was slightly difficult for the Slayer, as he was not used to handling something as delicate as a book. And though Hange was far too consumed in her own thoughts to take notice, there was indeed an underlying tension in the air that was brought on by the fear of the Slayer accidentally breaking something. So the duty of remaining on edge fell squarely on the shoulders of Hange's assistant, who looked like he was ready to pass out any moment now.

"_If at all possible, I'd like to change subjects for a short time. Would that be acceptable?"_

"Oh? Yeah, sure. Why, did you think of something else?"

"_A hypothesis concerning the nature of the Walls, and how they might play a part in the arrival of the Titans."_

Hange's eyes gained a dangerous glint in them upon hearing VEGA's remark. "You figured something out about the source of the Titans?!" she practically shouted while slamming her palms on the table. The sudden movement was enough to startle her assistant, who looked like he was nearing a heart attack.

"_Possibly. I am hoping that by answering a few of my questions, I might be able to form a more accurate assessment."_

"Sure. What do you want to know?"

"_It was roughly one-hundred years ago that the Titans first began to appear throughout the land, and the Walls were erected shortly after. This is correct?"_

The bespectacled scout nodded. "Yes. The exact time-frame is not known, but it has been about one-hundred years."

"_So we can confirm that the construction of the Walls coincided with the beginning of the Titan threat. Yet are there any records on how such fortifications were built?"_

The brunette raised a brow at this. "Not that I know of off the top of my head. The Church insists that it was the Goddesses who bestowed us the Walls for protection, but no one really can be certain. The fact that they existed and were able to protect us was worth more focus than wondering how exactly they were built."

"_A naive and wholly incorrect assumption. It is through that line of thinking that your civilization has arrived at its current state. If the Titans are such a great threat, then plans should have been made in advance in the event that something like the Colossal Titans appearance were to happen. And while Divine Intervention is a possibility, despite how low the probability of it being the cause, extra fortifications should have been constructed in preparation for a breach. Smaller but still effective walls should at least have been in the planning stages, even if resources weren't available at the time. But considering your society's peak technological capability, it is highly unlikely that your ancestors were the ones to build the Walls, especially if the Titans were as big of a constant threat that you say they are."_

"So what? Are you trying to say that the Walls really were built by the Goddesses?"

"_Unlikely. I am simply stating that given the current variables, it is entirely infeasible for the Walls to have been built without external aid. Why hasn't anyone tried to research more about the Walls if they are so important? Surely doing so would lead to some revelation about their origin."_

Hange sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Well the Church would kick up a fuss for one."

"_Unless the Church is responsible for their creation, they have no say in what should be done with the Walls. And even then, this is a matter of survival. While some might claim it callous to admit it, in situations like this, the ends do justify the means. If your survival means trampling over the Church should they hinder you, then you should have no qualms about doing so."_

"On that we can agree." Hange opined as she clicked her tongue. "But other than that, the people in charge don't want us to compromise the structural integrity of the Walls by taking them apart."

"_The outer Walls I can understand, but what of Wall Sina? With it being the furthest in, it should be within reason for small-scale research to be conducted on it."_

"I see where you're coming from, but that's the Wall that protects all the big-wigs."

"_Is that all?"_

The scout leader furrowed her brows in response. "What do you mean?"

"_You are unable to study the Walls simply because you are told not to? Does that not seem unusual to you?"_

"Now that you mention it..." Hange trailed off quietly.

"_When it comes to survival, logic must always take precedence over law. The only reason for why your government would forbid you from doing so, would be if they had something important to hide."_

Hange's eyes slowly widened upon following VEGA's train of thought.

"_It is within reason to believe that the truth about the Walls is known, but being kept secret. For what purpose though, I have a few theories. It is possible that the secrecy concerning the truth is the only thing keeping certain people in power, and it is their best interest to maintain their positions. The suffering of those who live outside of Sina is beyond their concern. However my second theory has much more distressing implications."_

"I almost don't want to know what it is."

"_The upper echelons of the government are collaborating with the Titans in some form or another."_

*SHHHHHRIIPP!*

The sound of parchment being ripped in half was soon accompanied by the thud of Hange's assistant as he dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

Hange's gaze shifted to the book that was in the Slayer's hands. Rather, the remains of the book which had been torn in half as a result of the Slayer's rage bubbling to the surface for even a scant few seconds. The idea that part of humanity may have allied itself with the Titans was enough to make his blood boil even more than usual. It was enough to remind him of Samuel Hayden once more, who was willing to risk the survival of humanity as a whole, all for the sake of technological progress. Anyone who posed a threat to humanity would inevitably wind up on the business end of his guns, regardless of how good their intentions might be.

After all, the road to Hell is paved with the best of intentions...

**(-)**

Erwin Smith is considered to be an exceptionally difficult person to read, even by those close to him. He almost always projects a mask of indifference, rarely showing any emotions even during combat. It is this aspect of his character that helps him to maintain an impartial mindset and keep his decisions rational regardless of the situation. Even with the mounting tension of recent developments, he doesn't waver in the slightest as he plans the next excursion beyond the Wall.

The true extent of his intellect is difficult to determine, but it is more than enough for him to paint a worrisome picture of the state of things. He had always suspected that something suspicious was going on, and the recent breach of Trost served to confirm his fears. When Shiganshina was breached years ago, it had happened just after the Scouting Regiment returned from a particularly devastating mission beyond the Wall. Some might consider it to be an unfortunate coincidence, but Erwin wasn't one to discount the possibility of such randomness. So when Trost ended up being breached while they were away, it all but confirmed his suspicions.

The enemy was among them.

Since he took over command of the Scouts from the former commander, he had implemented numerous changes that had greatly reduced their mortality rate and increased the successfulness of their expeditions. He held no doubts that if they had been present when Trost was breached, then things certainly would have turned out differently. But no, the breach happened when they were away. Not only that, but it was almost timed perfectly so that they were at the furthest point they could have been at during the mission, which delayed their return considerably.

Titans on their own couldn't perform something of that caliber, so there had to be outside interference. The only question was how? But with the reveal of Eren's ability to temporarily turn into a Titan, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place. In all likelihood, both the Colossal and Armored Titan were humans who possessed the same power as Eren.

A deeply troubling revelation, as it would be almost impossible to identify the culprit unless they were caught in the act. He had come up with an idea that involved testing for the same healing factor that Eren possessed by pricking people of the finger with a pin and seeing if the wound quickly closed up, but there were a few problems with that plan. The main problem being that it was too obvious, and the enemy would probably go into hiding if they knew he was on to them. No, he needed the enemy to continue thinking that they had the upper hand.

His best chance for catching them would be to set a trap that they would be unable to ignore. All he had to do now was figure out how to go about planning it.

However the recent message he received from Hange was adding to his troubles. VEGA had come up with some concerning theories of his own, and it seemed that the Slayer was not happy about the implications in the least.

The blonde commander pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. He was extremely grateful for the intervention of the Slayer, he truly was. The man was a powerhouse of titanic proportions that was more than capable of combating the Titan threat on his own, but he came with an obvious problem. One that Erwin was quick to identify...

He is quite literally unstoppable.

When it came to soldiers, all that was needed was to give them a weapon and tell them where to point it. So long as they were on your side, they would follow instructions. Even Levi, for all his kicking and screaming in the beginning, was an obedient soldier who did as ordered. Sure, he would step out of line from time to time, but he would always reel himself back in. The Slayer though, was no mere soldier.

They are an event. A concept. A physical manifestation of rage and righteousness. He cannot be controlled because there is nothing to control him with. Though it may be a crude description, the Slayer is essentially a walking natural disaster that storms across the land. All you can really do is hunker down and do your best to wait it out. It was only thanks to the help of VEGA that Erwin has been able to veer the storm in the direction he desires up until now. But Erwin wasn't a fool. He knew that soon enough, the Slayer would encounter something that would throw him off-course. Thus the commander was left with an unidentifiable time-table in which he had to make use of the Slayer's abilities as best he could before he loses control completely. And it was in his best interest to make as much forward progress as possible before the Slayer turned around and tore apart the inside of Wall Sina in search of the enemy who is hiding among them. There was no guessing what would happen if the Slayer wound up unleashing his full might against the MP Regiment. Hell, the guy was probably strong enough to make it all the way to Shiganshina... Now there's a thought.

Erwin pulled out a map of the land and looked over the future routes he had planned for since Trost was no longer an option for them to launch their expeditions from. Since the Slayer was more than capable of taking on the Titans even on flat terrain, that meant that traversing open fields would no longer be a death sentence for them. A faint smirk played across Erwin's lips as he began marking out a new route for them to take.


	5. Chapter 5

"The author's a jackass!

There, I got that out of the way. Now enjoy the chapter and wait patiently for the inevitable curbstomp that will be the expedition."

**(-)**

"I heard that he's nearly ten feet tall and can throw a Titan clear over a building!"

"Somebody from the Garrison Regiment said that he was actually some kind of metal-man who breathed fire!"

"Jacob said he was actually there at the time! He said the guy just had to point at a Titan and the things head would explode!"

"No way! That can't be true!"

"A friend of mine was helping with eliminating the surviving Titans, and she said that the guy was even more of a monster than them!"

Armin did his best to tune out the loud chattering going on around him at the moment. With things having finally settled down, the surviving cadets of the 104th had returned to their regular daily routines. There was still an underlying sense of nervousness and fear that most were trying to mask by gossiping about what happened during the breach, with the current topic being the 'Titan Slayer' who arrived near the end of the battle and completely decimated all forms of opposition. The blonde couldn't fault his fellow cadets for their wild imaginations when it came to the Slayer, as even he was having trouble comprehending what happened. Eren transforming into a Titan was something he could get a firm grasp on, owing to their long-standing friendship. Titans are Titans, and Eren is... well, Eren. Somehow the brunette could turn into a Titan and unleash his rage on the creatures with little restraint. Yet the idea of a man who could wrestle a Titan to the ground despite it being over 4 times his height... It just didn't make sense.

Even after briefly witnessing the Slayer pull weapons out of thin air and cave in the face of a 15-meter class Titan with his fists alone, Armin still wasn't 100% sure that what he saw was real. But when he and Mikasa were summoned for Eren's trial, they encountered the Slayer a second time.

The fact that although Eren had been heavily restrained for the duration of the trial, yet the Slayer was left to move freely, was not something that Armin missed. Sure there were guards, but he could tell that they were only there as a formality, something to give the impression that everything was under control. No, if the Slayer wanted to leave, there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him. He had to be convinced to go along willingly. Without the threat of Titans being nearby to divide his attention, Armin could feel the tension in the air when the Slayer finally took his position next to the Scout Commander. His heart was thundering in his chest, and it took all his willpower to not cling to Mikasa in fear.

But despite how strained his nerves were about the situation, the blonde was equally glad that the Slayer was essentially allied with the Scouts for the time being. Having that absolute monster of a man on their side would no doubt serve to lessen the mortality rate. Now he just had to pray that Eren won't go berserk if he transformed again. After seeing the Slayer 'interrupted' the trial via gunshot, Armin had a frightening suspicion that the man wouldn't hesitate to put his friend down at the first sign of him being a danger to those around him.

"Are you alright Armin?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the diminutive teen shifted his gaze towards his companion.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine Mikasa. Why do you ask?"

"Because you've been staring at your soup like it has the answer to all of Life's questions for the past five minutes." Connie supplied helpfully from across the table.

Nervously chuckling out how obvious his worries were being displayed, Armin tried to dissuade their concern. "I'm just a little nervous about the ceremony coming up. In less than a week I'll have officially joined the Scouts."

"Ahh, you're right..." groaned the hair-impaired teen. "It seemed like it was so far away before... well, Trost."

"Even with how frightening it was, humanity finally managed to come out victorious against the Titans." Christa spoke up, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm sure that this is going to be the beginning of something even more grand!"

"Your optimism, while endearing, is no less foolish." came the cynical remark from Ymir. "I guarantee you that this was simply a fluke. We may have won, but just how many of our comrades died during that one battle alone?"

"That's why we need to keep pushing forward!" the blonde girl responded with a slight pout. "Their sacrifice will have been in vain if we give up!"

"She's right! Ain't no way I'm gonna just stand idly by after everything that happened!" Reiner opined as he approached the table with Bertholdt following behind.

Ymir quietly growled at the blonde man as she scooted closer to Christa and wrapped her arm around the smaller girls shoulder. "Don't go spouting nonsense just so you can get on Christa's good side! I ain't sharing her!"

"Possessive much?" remarked Connie, to which Sasha chuckled.

"Listen; all I'm saying is that our odds of victory are looking increasingly good." explained Reiner as he sat down while doing his best to ignore Ymir's death-glare. "The Scouts have two major trump cards now."

"That's right." Jean spoke with slight interest. "Speaking of which; you two got a good look at the Slayer, right?" he asked as he pointed his fork towards Armin and Mikasa.

"W-well, kind of..."

"We had a clear view of his actions and what he is capable of." answered Mikasa. "And then we encountered him again at the trial."

"What was he like?!" exclaimed an excited Connie. "Are the stories they say about him true?!"

"Can he really snap his fingers and make Titans explode?" questioned a nervous Bertholdt.

"No. At least not that I saw."

"What about the rumor about him being the size of a small Titan?"

"That's an exaggeration. He looked to be roughly seven-feet tall at max."

As Mikasa took the brunt of the question-assault, Armin was left to wonder about just what the Slayer is capable of, and how he can do such things. Killing Titans without targeting the nape, jumping over buildings without the use of ODM gear, pulling weapons out of thin air... He really hoped that the Slayer would remain an ally. Primarily because he was certain that if the Slayer were to become their enemy, there would be nothing capable of stopping him.

'_Please don't let Eren do something stupid and piss him off!'_

**(-)**

To say that Levi was difficult to impress would be a gross understatement. Practically nothing outside of combat was of great interest to him, and with him being the strongest fighter in the Scouting Regiment, it meant that the odds of a new recruit catching his interest in terms of fighting capability was next to nil. There was just too great of a gap between him and his comrades.

But this Slayer person... He is different.

The man(?) -he still wasn't entirely sure that what was underneath the armor was human as the Slayer never removed the protective suit, not even to eat. Which raised several more questions concerning his humanity, since as far as they knew, he didn't eat, sleep, or drink.- expressed no real emotions outside of rage and indifference. Though his disruption during the trial was more akin to impatience than anything else. In combat the Slayer became an unstoppable force of destruction that would utterly annihilate any and all forms of opposition. But as soon as the action died down, he would revert to a passive state as he listlessly wandered around unless he was addressed or instructed. Prior to Hange enlisting the help of VEGA (which meant that the Slayer was pulled in by default), he would regard those around him as little more than a common house-plant. If he deemed the person trying to interact with him as unimportant, he would ignore them.

And so Levi would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit interested about the most notable addition to their forces as of late. Sure, the brat he was put in charge of was another barrel of fun altogether, but the Slayer had the decency to be competent during any displays of violence and rage, much like how he himself would unleash controlled aggression upon those who pissed him off. Eren was just a petulant child who let his emotions control him and lash out impulsively. So yeah, the Slayer was leagues above Eren in terms of Levi's approval. Thus he was happy -at least by Levi standards- to be called over to the workshop by Erwin while he left his squad to babysit the brat.

The captain finally approached the relatively large building that the Regiment was currently utilizing for equipment repair and management, an old factory that was used to produce farming tools. It was decommissioned after Shiganshina fell, as the sudden loss of land reduced how much equipment was needed. Still, it was relatively intact and as such it served them well. Levi immediately spotted Erwin waiting outside the entrance, his attention currently on the messenger he was talking to.

Upon noticing Levi's approach, Erwin sent the Scout away and beckoned the captain over.

"How goes your progress with training Eren?" the blonde man spoke, not even bothering with a greeting for the constantly dour captain.

"Like trying to squeeze blood from a stone." Levi responded curtly. "I'm amazed the brat placed 5th in the rankings for his year."

"Well just keep at it. If there's anyone who can turn him into a proper soldier, it's you."

Levi gave a non-committal grunt in reply. "That aside, what exactly did you call me over here for?"

Erwin beckoned Levi to follow as he entered the building. "We are working on developing some new equipment for the next mission with the help of VEGA. The reason I called you over is because I want you to help with testing it out. Among other things."

Levi arched a brow in curiosity. "What kind of equipment?"

***BOOM!***

The sound of a loud explosion was accompanied by the building trembling from the force, causing dust to fall from the rafters and shower Levi and Erwin.

"IT WORKS!" came the excited cry of Hange.

"Nevermind." Levi grumbled with a scowl as he pulled out a handkerchief to clean himself off with. "I think I have an inkling as to what's going on."

Erwin pinched the bridge of his nose and did his best to maintain his composure before entering the adjacent room which the explosion originated from. Opening the door, the makeshift workshop was a near complete mess, what with various equipment strewn about, debris flung every which-way, smoke lingering in the air, -and was that hole in the wall always there?

Hange was currently standing on one of the tables, covered head-to-toe in soot and holding up a modified flare gun as if it were the greatest treasure in the world. Meanwhile the Slayer was standing off to the side, looking over the resulting chaos with complete indifference. Noticing their arrival, the Slayer turned his head to nod in Erwin and Levi's direction in greeting.

"_My apologies Commander Erwin. I advised Hange to wait before testing out the new AT pistol, but she did not heed my warnings."_

Levi could already feel the oncoming migraine start to form. Hange is the one person who should never be left alone with anything that is even remotely volatile. And considering how the Slayer doesn't show much initiative towards anything outside of combat, he might as well have not even been present to stop her.

Somehow managing to tear her gaze away from the gun in her hands, Hange's head snapped in the duo's direction with a rather excited look on her face. "Ah, commander! I am pleased to report that my test fire of the AT pistol was a grand success!"

Her fellow captain shifted his gaze between the gun in Hange's hands and the large hole in the nearby wall. "That gun, did that?" he asked, not for confirmation, but admission of guilt.

The brunette couldn't have looked more proud at being responsible for damaging the structural integrity of the building. "Impressive, isn't it?!" she responded before looking over the gun and making sure everything was still in place. "If we can get a steady production of these going, then not even the Armored Titan will stand a chance!"

"... I think I need some context. What is going on here?"

"_In preparation for the upcoming mission, I had requested to examine your current munitions for dealing with the Titans with the intention of using the gathered data for planning later excursions. Upon inspection I noticed that you lack any ranged weaponry for combating the Titans aside from small arms, which aren't of much use considering the size of the enemy. However with the aide of Hange, we have devised a viable means of eliminating Titans from a safe distance while in the field. With the advent of the AT pistol, I estimate the mortality rate of your forces to be reduced by 41.5%, provided the weapons are distributed properly amongst the Scouts."_

Despite the severe damage the building suffered as a result of Hange's impatience, Erwin was more than pleased with the results, as shown by the faint grin pulling at his lips. Levi was considerably less enthused.

"Then explain how that leads to the wall being blown apart. Just what is this 'AT pistol'?"

Almost as if they rehearsed it prior, Hange walked over to Levi and Erwin and presented the weapon in her hands.

"_The AT pistol, which is short for Anti Titan pistol, is a slightly modified flare gun which is then loaded with explosive munitions provided by the Slayer. The first step in constructing the weapon was swapping out the standard firing mechanism with a straight-pull ignition hammer to accommodate a heavier payload. Next we extended the barrel by an extra two inches to allow for better stability. Lastly we rifled the barrel to allow the excess force from firing the weapon a means of escape so it does not detonate in the users hands."_

Levi turned his dry gaze towards Erwin. "Let's pretend that just for a second, I decide to go along with this. What do you expect me to do?"

"I want you to go outside the Wall and test these weapons out on some Titans. With the Slayer, of course. Provided they work, we will have finally developed the first reliable means of eliminating Titans from a safe distance."

"Hoh? Sounds like Four-eyes finally managed to produce something useful." Levi remarked, causing Hange to puff out her chest in pride. "Though I suspect that VEGA did the majority of the work."

"Hey!" barked the scientist in indignation.

Grabbing the gun from Hange, Levi gave it a closer inspection. "What exactly do this use for munitions?"

"_It fires a 30mm HE frag-round cluster variant."_

As VEGA answered Levi's question, the Slayer held up his combat shotgun and pulled back the slide for the under-slung grenade launcher, allowing him to eject one of the rounds without it being primed. He then presented the munition for the others to see.

"_Upon impact with solid-mass, the grenade will detonate in a violent explosion with a radius of approximately 2 meters, and is highly effective against soft-targets. However since it is of the cluster variant, the initial detonation will release several smaller explosives that will activate exactly 1.25 seconds later, resulting in a secondary blast that will increase the area of effect by 65%. My calculations estimate that there will be a 92% chance that the explosion will destroy a Titans nape so long as the round hits the area around their neck. It was quite fortuitous that your flare guns were the appropriate size to accommodate the new ammunition."_

"Won't our supply of these grenades run out quickly? Seeing as how the Slayer is providing them from his own stockpile?"

"_A reasonable concern, but not one you need worry about. The Slayer makes use of numerous Runes that enhance his combat abilities. You might think of them as being a type of magic. And one of the powers that they grant him is an infinite supply of ammunition, so long as he can maintain his strength."_

Levi raised a brow. "You have to be joking."

"_Negative. I currently lack the required software in order to process humor."_

Letting out a sigh of resignation, the diminutive captain turned his gaze back towards Erwin. "You're just going along with this crazy shit, aren't you?"

"It is best not to dwell on that which we cannot comprehend. Our efforts should be focused towards a goal that we can feasibly reach."

"Fine. But I want my squad to be the first ones armed with these things... Don't make one for Eren though. Kid is liable to blow himself up."

"Done." Erwin responded. "Now take Slayer with you and get these things tested out on some real Titans. I also want you to show him the ropes with the ODM gear. It won't hurt for him to be equipped with some extra mobility."

After handing over a small crate of the AT pistols to the Slayer and giving Levi the requisition form for another set of ODM gear, Erwin was soon left alone with Hange.

"What do you think the odds of this working are?" the brunette asked.

"The odds don't matter. The success of our upcoming expedition is dependent on the two of them being able to fight in sync. And I can't think of a better way for them to get along that doesn't involve them killing Titans."

"I will admit that the idea of the two of them being set loose against the Titans is a frightening one. Makes me almost feel sorry for our enemies... Almost."

Erwin nodded. "Right. How goes the progress on our 'other project'?"

"Everything is proceeding on schedule... This is one hell of a risky plan. If something goes wrong, this might result in all of us getting killed."

"... In order to win it all, you must be willing to risk it all. I already expect us to suffer numerous casualties regardless of what happens. But we cannot afford to turn back now."


End file.
